The present invention relates to kitchen appliances and, more particularly, to popcorn poppers.
One type of popcorn popper, with which the present invention is particularly concerned, employs a flow of heated air through unpopped kernels of corn to raise their temperature to a value high enough to generate steam within the kernels, thereby forcing explosive expansion of the hard kernels into the familiar soft popped corn. An air popper preferably includes means for separating the popped corn from the unpopped kernels. One way for performing such separation includes permitting the heated air to escape in an upward direction. The larger cross section of the popped corn permits it to be carried upward and to exit the corn popper while the smaller cross section of the unpopped kernels tends to permit them to remain in the bottom of the popper for additional heating until substantially all of the corn is popped and delivered from the popper by the exiting flow of air.
Balancing the requirements for attaining satisfactory popping while separating the popped corn from the unpopped kernels presents a critical problem in an air popper. The air flow through a popping chamber must be high enough to keep the unpopped kernels stirred for even heating. Excessive air flow velocity, however, tends to drive an unacceptable proportion of unpopped kernels out of the popping chamber along with the popped corn.
Conventional air poppers position a fan below the popping chamber and provide for feeding kernels through a top opening and for permitting exit of the popped corn through the same top opening. The assignee of the present invention has developed a popular line of kitchen appliances to be mounted on the underside of suspended cabinets. The line is characterized by small vertical dimensions in order to provide minimum interference with counter space frequently disposed below the cabinets. The present invention is a member of this low-headroom family.
Undercabinet mounting denies access to the top of the popper for adding kernels or for receiving the popped corn. In addition, the vertical alignment of blower, popping chamber and fill/delivery chamber increases the vertical dimension of prior art devices beyond acceptable limits for a device mounted under suspended cabinets and over a counter.
All air poppers tend to leave debris in the popping chamber. Debris from the popping chamber of a conventional air popper can be dumped out by inverting the air popper and can be cleaned through its top opening. Undercabinet mounting prevents both of these actions.